One video

If you were to look at campaign videos alone, it would appear that the key issues on people’s minds as they go to the polls were healthcare and immigration.

But what do voters themselves say? We asked people in 12 different states what issues are on their minds as they select their candidates.

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Media captionWhat do American voters care about?

One big number

Donald Trump’s name isn’t on the ballot this year, but it might as well be.

One important thing to watch on Tuesday will be whether candidates who have embraced the president’s rhetoric and tactics end up doing well. This could shape the direction of the Republican party over the next two years.

Either way, we can expect these mid-terms, like all others, to be a referendum on the president.

The parties of presidents who have low approval ratings tend to do poorly in the mid-terms – and President Trump’s are very low indeed.

This is one reason Democrats, with the House of Representatives in their sights, are optimistic this year.

One race to watch

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There are plenty we could have picked here – any of the close Senate races in Tennessee, Missouri or Arizona for example – but if there’s one race that sums up the 2018 mid-terms, it is the close race for governor in Georgia.

Like in a number of other states this year, Georgia could see a significant first: Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams would become the first female African-American governor in the US if she won.

Her Republican opponent Brian Kemp is Georgia’s secretary of state. His office has been behind the cancellation of 1.5m voter registration applications in four years, and has been accused of voter suppression, one of the hot-button issues this year.

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